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Introduction to Zhao Yu Jin, Oh My General episode 1
Although his temper is absurd, he still has some merit. His looks are good, also, also…
I seriously started watching Oh My General because of this dance scene. Yu Jin, your advertising worked.
Oh My General episode 17 recap
Sorry for the long wait, guys! But it’s Nanowrimo month and all my energy is poured into my novel, which is the third book of my sci-fi series. I’m pretty psyched that it’s at 40,000, which is roughly about 60-70% of my projected word count (I believe it’ll be a 70,000 word novel.) But enough about that. Let’s get on with the Yu jin, Xi Yin and Ye Zhao love triangle now.
Ye Zhao orders her right hand woman to prevent Jin from fraternising with women. (Even she finds it too severe but she theorises that it’s because the general doesn’t want her hubby to find another wife. Bwahaha.)
Meanwhile Yu jin is still mighty perplexed about the doctor’s diagnosis. He totally doesn’t buy the doctor’s diagnosis. How can he fall sick just like that?
Just then, Liu the scholar comes for a visit. Liu slyly asks for a way to see Xi Yin (he was that scholar who burst into poetry when he saw her last) and Jin introduces him to her. Well, they see her perched on a rock, and of course Liu is taken with her beauty. (I find it hilarious how a convenient gust of wind often arrives at times like these or when our main couple has some sexy times!)
YZ’s right hand woman visits Hu Li in his pleasant abode in the forest and tells him about Jin’s mysterious illness. Hu Lin’s “this is suspicious” radar goes up. Both are perplexed by how his fainting spell came out of nowhere. He begins asking her about Xi Yin. Hu Li, you’re one smart cookie. He asks her if XY she’s capable of anything untowards to Jin. She immediately catches on and says, “Do you think she has anything to do with Jin’s illness?”
Hu Li is worried that if this goes on any further, YZ would be affected in some way. They hurriedly go off to see Jin. Scholar Liu and XY walk around her residence. They talk about his ambitions to serve the emperor, Liu is impressed with her intelligence. Bored now. He’s obviously into her, but boy, you are SO not on her radar, babe.
Meanwhile, YZ is trying to pamper our obviously bored-to-death and frustrated Yu Jin. He kicks up a snit when she mentions her cousin, saying that’s all you talk about. Cousin, cousin, cousin! YZ laments that she still hasn’t been able to find a husband for her yet. Jin scoffs at her concern, and mentions that Liu is with her now but YZ doesn’t think he’s suitable for her at all. Poor Liu, he gets no love.
Hu Li visits, but Jin actually tells his manservant to chase him away. He allows him to come in, though Jin cattily says, “If you’ve come to visit me, why haven’t you bought gifts?” Someone’s jealous haha.
Hu Li immediately notices the bouquet of flowers beside Jin and XY says that XY is an expert with herbs and flowers. He thinks to himself: “This rare flower is used by the rich who have insomnia. They place these flowers at their bedsides and the fragrance of the flowers will ‘lead them into a dream’. However, the leaves and shoots of the plant all have mild toxins, so if it’s inhaled into the body, it could make a person sleep or even render them unconscious.”
He asks Jin if he realises what these flowers can do. Jin doesn’t, and Hu li tells him that do help a person rest. Jin remarks, “No wonder I slept so well the last few days!”
YZ carrying a cup of tea, says, “Yes, you slept so well that you became unconscious!”
Hu Li advices them to remove the flowers, lest Jin gets too dependent on them and ends up with insomnia.
Outside, HL is definitely suspicious now. He investigates the situation further.
Back at casa XY, Liu remarks that she seemed troubled. Liu gallantly offers to solve her problem, but she says that her problem is larger than his any day. Jin comes invites him out to eat and they excuse themselves.
Night time. YZ visits cousin who gives her a dance performance. As she danced, I can’t help but remember the sad story (as told in the previous episode) of how XY loves to dance but she isn’t allowed to because she’s a high born lady. (High born ladies don’t dance like courtesans, I suppose.) They then play a childhood game together. I’m not sure what XY is trying to achieve? Seduce YZ? Anyway, YZ is merely impressed with her skills and promptly discusses her marital prospects, which doesn’t make XY happy.
Jin is finally freed from house arrest and he’s revelling in it! He’s out and about in the city with YZ and his cousin when ladies flock around … YZ and giggling, asks how many people she’s killed. Jin, unused to not being the centre of attention, I suppose, says something snippy to the ladies and marches off in a huff.
One of Jin’s friends call out to him and they hang out until he sees XY. His friend tries to persuade Jin to introduce him to XY, but Jin’s not doing it. So, he brushes him aside and goes to her. Just then, XY discreetly releases some kind of dart from her ring. Jin topples into the water and XY pretends to dive in after him. When they’re in the water, XY hits Jin unconscious.
YZ pulls them out. Jin is unconscious while XY’s maid said that her reputation is now ruined - how can she marry now? (I say let her marry a goat herder for all I care!)
Jin is mad at his friend, whom he’s pretty convinced pushed him into the water. Fortunately, nothing happened, said Jin, or I’ll never forgive you. The manservant carries Jin back.
YZ brings medicine to Jin only to get the shock of her life when she sees him all wrapped up like a mummy. Jin is mad and petulant and complains that she’s not paying attention to him or taking care of him. She asks: Where does he hurt, and he, of course uses the opportunity to demand kisses.
He asks: “How is that woman?” Yet, he says later that XY is a good person for diving into the water after him.
YZ sadly says that because so many people saw her fall into the water, her reputation is affected. (How, really? Ancient China is so unfair.) Jin says they just have to give her a big dowry and people won’t turn her down.
That’s when YZ notices that he has a bruise at his neck (that’s where XY hit him) and remarks that cousin is sure remarkably strong. YZ asks where else does he hurt? He points to his knee and she notices another bruise, and says to herself: “This seems to have been made by a hidden weapon of some sort.” This puzzles her greatly.
YZ sees XY lamenting to her maid about her shredded reputation. How can I go on now? She laments. What can I do?
I don’t know. Leave? Bah.
Summary:
So our frail, delicate dove is actually a bitter, venomous viper. Not only was she behind Jin’s fainting spell, she tried to drown him! Her obsession with YZ knows no bounds, and it would seem that she wants Jin out. Like, you know, from the mortal realm. But now she has a new angle, and I’m not liking it much. Dear YZ remains oblivious to XY’s machinations, but she’s starting to suspect something, thank goodness.
Apparently XY is a fan favourite, and that totally perplexes me. Is it because she hides her inner strength under a veneer of beauty and frailty? I have a word for that: deceitful.
By the way, I forsee difficulties in recapping episode 20 onwards because it’s all about the politics, baby, and our main couple is actually relegated to side character roles in some episodes! Why, dear writer, why? I’m not a fan of detail recapping these things (the court language! Gah) - especially since our couple plays such a small role. So I’m only going to do quick recaps for those.
Oh My General episode 16 recap
I can’t help but embed the video of our couple’s dance here because it’s so sweet and sexy. After the seductive dance, our couple embrace and kiss.
Only to have their passionate smooch rudely interrupted by XY’s maid who cries out for YZ to come to her cousin immediately.
Ye Zhao remembers that XY has always been afraid of thunder and lightning (XY. What, are you 12??). But surely you’re not going to leave me now? Jin protests. YZ actually pats Jin on the cheek and tells him to be good and behave. (YZ - just a tip. He’s your husband, not your pet poodle.)
XY’s maid later comes into Jin’s room and apologetically tells him that YZ has decided to spend the night with XY because she can’t stop crying. Jin grudgingly sends her away, quietly seething.
I hate cousin already.
The next day, Jin’s friends salivate over XY who walks past. Jin casually mentions that she is YZ’s cousin. (He actually calls YZ his ‘tiger’).
“She’s such a good woman - whom shall I marry her to?” Jin muses out loud. His friends all clamour for his attention, each vying for his approval.
Somewhere else in town, Hu Qin and a new gent spots XY, and the gent promptly recites poetry upon seeing her, calling her a celestial maiden. And then XY is surrounded by a bunch of rakes who gets very handsy with her. Jin and his three friends come to the rescue. Jin then scolds XY for coming out alone. She says that she has always done this back home, but he tells her it’s not safe to come out unchaperoned in the big city anymore.
Back in the restaurant, Jin’s friend tease him for being afraid of YZ. Of course he vehemently denies that. They say, if he isn’t afraid of YZ, why hasn’t he asked XY to be his concubine yet? Jin says he already has three concubines, and that’s plenty already, and besides, he is busy building up his body. His friends burst out laughing, saying that he is so frail, why bother.
Meanwhile his mother sends over loads of nourishing meals because he has been studying hard. But his mind is on other more important things. He complains to himself that YZ has been ignoring him, working instead.
He goes to her study and hints that he wants her to spend time with him. But YZ is absolutely clueless, telling him to spend time with Mei Niang instead because she is busy looking at a roster of names to find a good husband for her cousin. Annoyed, Jin said, why not he spend time with Yang instead? YZ, still clueless, says she prefers Mei Niang and goes ahead to list her qualities.
Concubine Yang overhears this and stomps off, so she didn’t hear YZ praising her qualities too. She sits, seething, under a gazebo, mighty angry at our couple. Then, XY’s maid walks by and calls her “fu ren” (mistress), but Yang chides, her saying that if anyone heard her call her that, she’d end up being beaten. In this household there’s only one fu ren, and it’s YZ, and Yang is but a concubine. She sounds pretty bitter about it.
Back in YZ’s room, Jin is lying in bed, giving her the biggest hint of his intentions ever. In the end, Jin had to demand that YZ spend the night with him but she just tells him to have Mei Niang or Xu Er spend the night with him instead. She again tells him to be good, which I’m sure doesn’t do his pride any favours.
Jin complains that ever since cousin came over to live here, all she does is spend time with her. Eventually, YZ relents and promises to spend the night with him, but he’s impatient and wants to have her then and there. They are about to have a go at it when they get interrupted. By XY’s maid. Again.
The maid comes in and Jin and YZ pretend that they weren’t doing anything, you know, interesting. The maid tells her that XY is giving them two floral bouquets that will give them “pleasant dreams”. She also tells them that XY no longer needs YZ to accompany her at night, which delights Jin.
Outside, Jin’s annoyance fades away when XY gives him a blast of her delicate beauty and manners. She asks if she’s received the bouquet, and he comments that it has a particularly strong smell. They talk some more and Jin excuses himself.
Oh oh, XY gives Jin a particularly hate-filled glare when he leaves. Hmm, ominous!
Meanwhile, back at the barracks, YZ is strongly hinting at HQ that her cousin would make him a great wife. HQ tries desperately to wriggle out of this (he even tries to sneak away) but YZ is not having it.
Sure, he doesn’t have a high rank, nor is he as pretty as her husband, but he has great character. He tells her she shouldn’t bother herself with petty things like his marriage. He even asks, “is your cousin pure?”, to which she says, “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course she is!”
Though, there was an incident the past which was totally her fault, and HQ better not look down at XY because of it. YZ explains that when XY was a young girl, she loved to dance and really danced like an angel. Feeling sad that her cousin’s talent was unappreciated, YZ organised a party cum performance where XY performed for guests. However, when XY’s parents found out about it they were furious because they felt that they have lost face because XY performed like a woman at a pleasure house and gave her a bad beating. YZ was also punished, told to kneel and think about her actions for three days. But she only last two hours and ran away. YZ still feels bad about the incident till this day.
HQ asks, is that all she wanted to tell her about XY? YZ is annoyed - she has already told him all about XY, even the not-so-good stuff. Is he going to marry her or not?
HQ sighs and says, “You’ve known me for so long. How well do you understand me?” YZ frowns and demands that he explain. HQ hesitates and says, well, this matter is rather difficult to talk about. (I think he’s trying to tell YZ he likes her lol.)
He begins again valiantly. “Your cousin is so beautiful, single men will surely fall for her ... that is why...”
YZ gasps suddenly and cries out: “Did you fall in love with a woman from the pleasure house?”
Horrified, HQ denies it but YZ says that she has seen him there often drinking. Ye Zhao, Ye Zhao, you can be so clueless. This man loves you!
But, anyway, YZ says that the only woman he can marry is her cousin and HQ reassures her that no, he hasn’t found anyone there. And makes his escape (and whacks the two soldiers outside in frustration. Hah! But seriously, if you told her, it would have been an utter disaster, HQ. Better to leave her clueless, don’t you think?)
Meanwhile, Concubine Yang goes to wake Jin. It is already late, but he’s still asleep. To her horror, Jin doesn’t even stir after her repeated attempts. Yang alerts the whole household in a panic: The Prince is unconscious!
(The camera pans to the flowers by his bedside ominously, then to XY who delicately arranges flowers in her room. A connection?)
YZ rushes to her husband’s side, and tires to shake him awake, but he remains unresponsive. She tells the servants to call for the physician.
The physician arrives. Everyone looks really concerned as Physician Meng takes the prince’s pulse. And then he declares that Jin had probably pushed his body too hard by "overindulging in carnal desires”. YZ looks mortified (probably wondering if their bedroom activities was too much for Jin). The doc advises: No women, no drinking alcohol and bed rest for two months and he should be fine. (Basically Jin has had too much alcohol (that’s true) and sex (I think he was spending more time TRYING to have sex than anything else, but, details) and his body just gave out on him lol.)
YZ tells Yang to bring her things from the room - she’s going to take care of Jin personally. At his bedside, YZ laments that Jin’s body is so weak. How can he suddenly be unconscious like this?
You useless, stupid man. Wake up, she thinks.
And suddenly, Jin's eyes pop open and he yells: “Why are you staring at me with those huge eyes?”
YZ says that she’s just accompanying him, and phew, he’s finally up.
Jin says that he was deep in sleep when he hears someone calling him stupid. That woke him up.
YZ, amazed, says that he’s quite awesome, able to hear her scolding him in her heart. Jin gallantly says that they have a “heart connection”. He asks her the time and pushes himself up to sit, to her protests.
Jin may be weak, wobbly and woozy but he has only ONE thing on his mind: Has YZ finally come to sleep with him? He attempts to get frisky with her only to immediately wilt and collapse in her arms.
(Meanwhile, I notice that there are about a dozen of servants watching them quietly at the foot of the bed. It would’ve been mighty awkward if they do get it on there and then.)
The concubines come in wailing, and they gave Jin such a headache that YZ demands that they shut up. Jin, realising that this is not an ordinary day, wants to know what happened. The concubines tell them that he scared them half to death by being unconscious since yesterday, and that Physician Meng had just come over to see him.
“What illness did he say I have?” Jin demands.
To which the concubines tell him that Meng said he had too much sex and wine and turned away in embarrassment. (And so does the servants!)
Jin says that there is absolutely no way that this was the reason for his mysterious fainting episode because he has spent most of his time cultivating himself, studying and stuff. (For one, he couldn’t get any from YZ for days! Maybe he fainted out of frustration? :P )
The concubines quickly defend him and say that his body has been weak since childhood so he most probably had pushed his body too hard from all that self-improvement. Besides, he has not visited the pleasure house much since he got hitched with the General.
That’s right! Jin says defensively. Besides, what is this place they keep talking about? He has not even heard of it! (And the concubines try to explain what it is but they couldn’t say it out loud lol.)
Yang says that they better not tell Jin’s mom (otherwise known as the Monster-in-law) because she will surely blame YZ for not taking care of Jin properly.
And then the manservant rushes in and yells that Mom is here! And she appears right in the room and everyone scrambles.
Mom does indeed blame YZ for being so busy with “beating up and killing people” that her son had wandered off to a pleasure house to fill in the gap, so to speak. After lots of wailing and lamenting how unlucky her son was, she commands that YZ to help Jin strengthen himself and to make sure Jin doesn’t go near women. Most of all, YZ CANNOT touch Jin for three months.
I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing Jin wants to hear.
Thoughts
Gee, that escalated quickly, didn’t it? It’s safe to say that our well-mannered, beautiful, delicate cousin is more than she seems. Despite discovering that YZ is a woman, she is NOT letting go and is determined to keep Jin away from YZ. She did it successfully with a few cock-blocking attempts, but it certainly got into serious territory when Jin’s health is affected.
Also, although YZ is finally a true wife to Jin, she still has a lot to learn. She handles him more like a beloved pet than a hubby, so in that sense she behaves as if she’s “above” him and Jin is certainly not having any of that.
Oh My General episode 15 recap
YZ and virtuous sis-in-law are reminiscing about the past, but they eventually get to the good stuff: What can YZ do to seduce Jin?
Well, darn it, virtuous sister-in-law is not sharing her tips with us. She’s whispering it to YZ instead who giggles and blushes. (I have a big feeling being “virtuous” is not tip no.1.)
The concubines are preparing dishes for Jin and one of them comment that he now calls YZ “Ah Zhao” but Concubine Yang doesn’t seem delighted by it. What’s up with our purple-robed concubine? Please don’t turn her into a hissy second lead.
It’s night, and Jin is walking in the garden, dressed to the nines. He hears YZ call him.
So, YZ has implemented virtuous sis-in-law’s advice. She’s perched on top of a tree and is in full on seductive mode, showing a fair bit of her legs (Jin did like them, didn’t he), speaking in a husky voice, and is all made up. But Jin is playing tough to get even though he was absolutely blown away when he saw her. (His manly pride is a little wounded when she grabs him and flies him up to the tree after his sad attempt at climbing it.)
At one point she hints to Jin they’ve met before. He says he’s pretty hard to forget (being beautiful and all), so he’s not surprised. But when have we met? He wonders, because he can’t remember. YZ pouts and says since he can’t remember, forget it.
Jin says he’ll beat it out of her, and proceeds (and fails miserably) to look threatening. In the process he falls off the tree. Fortunately, YZ pulls him up and he falls on her. And somehow, their lips meet.
Ye Zhao and Yu Jin sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
Our couple does get down from the tree and end up in Jin’s room. They give each other the shiest, sweetest looks, and then begin to untie the bed curtains.
Cue clothes falling to the ground and we spy our couple kissing passionately and rolling in bed amidst the billowing curtains. The curtains close.
(Darn it, Show. We’ve waited 15 episodes and you can’t even spare us some skin and a slow-mo shot of them kissing? Such a tease.)
The next morning, Jin is miffed to wake up alone in bed. (We’re as miffed as he is.) As he calls out for YZ, Concubine Yang comes in, all jealous-faced, and says that she will get YZ (who is outside training) for him.
When YZ returns to the room, Jin has partially undressed and apparently, eager for more. But as he tries to get it on with YZ, they’re interrupted by one of her officers who tell YZ that the emperor has summoned her.
“Tell the emperor to wait!” Jin yells.
But YZ tells Jin to be good, kisses him and tells him to wait for her.
At court, the Dowager empress calls out someone called General Liu, and later, YZ spends time with at a restaurant. They both know each other, but Liu isn’t terribly pleased with her. He tells her that her lies about her gender has affected many people. Especially one cousin - Gen Liu asks: She still doesn’t know that YZ is a woman, does she?
YZ apologises, saying that it’s all her fault. The uncle says it’s good that she knows that. It’s obvious that both of them realise that this cousin, Liu Xi Yin, holds deep affection for YZ … and the revelation that she’s a woman could be trouble for not just XY but everyone else.
General Liu heads back home, and we see XY there waiting for them. Looks like the unpleasant task of telling her the truth is his.
The uncle says that YZ has lied to everyone, including to those closest to her. YZ is actually a woman!
Liu is devastated. “We’ve only been separated for two years! How can she suddenly be a woman?” It would seem that Xi Yin has marital ambitions with YZ. Now that YZ is now a woman, surely XY will give that up like her uncle suggests?
As XY grieves outside in the garden, she remembers the first time she meets YZ. She had saved XY from a pack of murderous soldiers who wanted o do terrible things to her.
(I swear, everyone in this universe is blind. How can you mistake YZ for a woman? Oh well.)
YZ receives a letter that says that XY is coming for a visit. Jin asks if she is beautiful, much to YZ’s annoyance.
XY arrives at the manor, and everyone welcomes her. Jin is gobsmacked by her beauty.
It’s night time and Jin is looking all gorgeous in white lying on the divan looking at a book of … pretty women? (Jin’s version of porn? Or maybe as close to porn as China’s censors will allow? :P) And daydreaming about XY.
YZ catches him looking at the book and he quickly tosses it away. When she starts untying the bed curtains Yu Jin grabs her, and gives her a smouldering look. (Apparently back in the day, untying the bed curtain is a signal for sexy times.)
“Are you going to teach me how to dance?” YZ asks.
Uhm. What was I saying. Right. He does teach her to ‘dance’, but it’s not the kinda dance you give in a theatre, you know what I mean? Our couple begins the seductive, primal dance and …. everything fades to black. Damn you, Show.
Thoughts
Is it hot or is it just me? Sandra Ma and Peter Cheng have scorching chemistry, which is such a pity they don’t have much skinship in the show. I loved their shy, tentative reactions to finally consummating their relationship. And the slow dance at the end of the episode is pretty much scorching and I definitely want more.
But poor us and poor Jin - it’s hilarious how much Jin feels like an ignored woman after the first night together. I could almost hear Jin saying, “Now that she’s got what she wanted, she’s just leaving me high and dry!”
About Xi Yin - can I say trouble? What are her intentions, especially after having her heart broken by the truth about Ye Zhao’s gender?
Oh My General episode 14 recap
It’s banquet time, and Jin is entertaining Eno and the Xi delegation. Eno wonders where YZ is, but Jin says in their country, it’s not proper for women to be in the company of men like this. They compare notes on how women are treated/behave in their respective countries. But the banter between both sides are laced with some sharp words, so there’s tension there.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ma, disguised as a servant, tries to spot the man he saw coming out from Master Lin’s house. He goes to YZ and reports that the man did not attend the banquet. YZ is puzzled why he wouldn’t be there.
Back at the table, things get heated up when Eno says that he has heard that Jin is the No.1 prettiest man in the country. Then he grabs Jin’s hand and calls him a “beautiful lady”. Eno insists that Jin come visit him in his country and drink “beautiful” wine and eat “beautiful” meat with him.
Terse words are exchanged, and both sides end up getting up from the table threateningly, but Jin manages to play dumb and tells them to “Why are you guys standing up? Let’s drink!”
The next day Eno returns to Jin’s residence with gifts. Jin, still mad at all the insulting remarks Eno made about his, er, delicate beauty, makes Eno wait quite some time. When he finally appears, Eno apologises to Jin and YZ, saying that he drank too much and ended up insulting Jin. They bid each other politely goodbye, but Jin is still annoyed.
They later follow him to a drinking establishment where two well-to-do gents bid him farewell. YZ complains that they can’t hear what they’re saying. They leave and sees a suspicious-looking guy in Xi garb pacing before the place. Jin remarks that he looks familiar, and realises the man matches Xiao Ma’s description of Lin’s killer.
That’s our killer, he says.
YZ goes to confront our killer while Jin watches.
The man demands to know who she is, and she says, “I’m here to catch you.” The man goes on the offensive, but he is no match for her. Jin tells her not to kill him because he needs to be questioned.
The next day, the magistrate tells them details about the prisoner. The man is a hired thug of some sort.
YZ wants to interrogate the thug further, but they find the prisoner dead in his cell. In the end, they could not prove a link between the hired thug and Eno. They leave, disappointed.
Outside the magistrate’s building YZ spots Hu Qing at a corner but he slinks away. (What is he up to now?)
When the Xi delegation leaves, with Jin and YZ watching, there’s tension in the air. Eno vows to return, but this time as lord of this place. Oh dear, sounds like a war is coming.
After Eno and his gang leaves, Jin asks YZ out to a nice dinner. Ooh. Date night.
And so ends the whole saga with the dead man, the dagger and the Xi prince. I am more than glad to get on with the business at hand: The romance between our couple!
Additional info. My pal Zoe whose Mandarin is way better than mine helpfully adds: The hired thug's name is Li La, who was hired by a customer who felt cheated by Master Li. Apparently Li exchanged the customer's real jasper tiger with a fake one. When the customer found he got really mad and told Li La to handle it.
Apparently, he was supposed to get the job done asap but got waylaid by prostitutes. And when the Xi Xia entourage came to town, security got really tight and Li La wasn't able to make a move.
But Lee La was still looking for an opportunity to kill Teacher Li as he was assigned. So, when he found out that someone was gonna drop by Master Li's house to get some stuff, he decided to set up the scene to look like whoever picked up the stuff that night was the murderer. And it turned out to be Jin.
He didn't realise it was Yu Jin aka the king's nephew. At this point he just wanted to get the rest of the money as he was promised so he made arrangements to meet a middleman at a tree but the middleman never showed up and instead Jin was there with Ye Zhao and that's how they caught him.
Jin is in a good mood when he gets back - even his manservant notices. Of course he’s happy - for one, he’’s glad that Eno is gone and will not bother him or “Ah Zhao” again. The manswervant quietly asks, “Does that mean you don’t want to divorce her?”
Jin says, of course not! It’s difficult to find a wife with qualities like YZ’s - and he goes on to list them, one of which includes “beating up people”. So, says manservant, since you no longer want to separate from her, shouldn’t you get on with the business of consummating the marriage? Jin’s eyes naturally brighten up at that idea and he commands him to get the best wines for date night.
The manservant runs to Concubine Yang who apparently handles the household accounts to ask for money. She naturally wonders why he’d want so much money, and he tells her the good news. But she doesn’t seem delighted. Eh, what gives? I thought you’re all for YZ and Jin to get together? Bah, not sure if I like this jealousy angle they’re building up.
Meanwhile, at the general’s office, YZ’s men are giving her pointers on how to handle hubby. One of the men recommend that she talk to his sister-in-law who is guaranteed to give her the best advice; she’s highly praised to be a virtuous and wonderful wife - she is the best person to guide YZ, he says.
Meanwhile, Jin is trying his darnest to get his body in tip top shape for the night’s activities. And who else but his trio of friends to see him wrestle with itty bitty weights? Jin tells them that he has to prepare for a “big thing” tonight and the trio immediately asks excitedly: Are you guys finally doing IT?
Jin drags his friends into the house and demands to know how they know about his plans. Well, it turns out that news about him consummating the marriage is EVERYONE’s business because there’s a big bet going on about the subject. Jin is absolutely mortified, but his friends reassure him that they’re betting on his side and they have total confidence in his capabilities.
Meanwhile, YZ’s soldier brings his sister-in-law to YZ. They’re both delighted to realise that they know each other already.
Zoe adds: Yu Jin's friends know about his bedroom activities because they are the ones behind the city's gossip grapevine - an information network that runs through the courts and king's palace. The gossips basically collect info on anything that's of interest and apparently Yu Jin and Ye Zhao's sexual relations or lack thereof is of major interest to the city.
Yu Jin's friends bet on him because they're enterprising and lovable jackasses and are super confident that he'll get things done!
Thoughts
Don’t our couple make a great team? They work so well together, and for a moment they forgot the politics that brought them together and enjoyed each other’s company instead.
Jin, for one realises that YZ is a great complement to him while YZ’s respect for her husband’s good heart grows. So, it wasn’t a surprise when he decided not to divorce YZ but to get into the marriage bed instead.
But I have to say this whole deal with the Xi delegation and the murder conspiracy was a muddle to get through. Perhaps it’s to demonstrate Xi’s future threat to the nation, or to show how manipulative Eno is, but it was a drag for a bit and I was impatient to get back to the LOLZ cuteness and romance. Still, it looks like Xi and Eno are two forces we have to watch out for in the future.
Oh My General episode 13 recap
YZ and Jin face the emperor with the magistrate (I think) at their side. Jin tells the emperor that he has scolded and has even intimidated Master Lin, but he did not kill him. The Magistrate said that he has interviewed the neighbours who all say that they saw Jin having a fight with Lin. But how could Jin kill Lin when he doesn’t have the ability to? Perhaps Lin committed suicide because of his difficult relationship with Jin.
The official suggests sweeping the issue under the rug; the emperor thinks bad thoughts about his nephew and chides Jin for being so careless and YZ for not taking care of Jin properly, letting him misbehave. He tells Jin to “study the books that will teach him to be a proper person”. But Jin is not satisfied, insisting to the emperor that Lin was killed. YZ adds that he was probably killed by a person with high martial arts skills. But the magistrate is utterly perplexed why anyone with great martial arts skills would bother killing a person like Lin.
YZ and Jin asks for permission to investigate the case further, and the emperor says yes.
Back at the scene of the crime, YZ digs into Lin’s wound to investigate the wound with Jin gagging in one corner. She said that the wound was made decisively and with strength, and therefore, there’s no way Lin did this to himself. She also tells the medical examiner at the scene that with just a look, she knew that Jin wasn’t the killer.
She asks the medical examiner - if you were to stab me, where would you do it? He replied, the abdomen. For ordinary people (people without martial arts I assume), it’s the most convenient place as it’s soft and easy for the blade to enter and with just a simple twist you can cause a lot of bleeding and damage.
Why not the heart, asks YZ.
Because there are bones surrounding the heart and it’s not as easy to strike.
YZ also pointed out that judging from the angle of the strike, the attacker is left-handed. (This is when the discussion goes over my head a bit, but basically the medical examiner decides to probe the wound himself and discovers two marks on the heart. He theorises that the true weapon is made by … a dagger, says YZ.) YZ wonders out loud: Who would want to frame Jin?
That night, Jin awake from a nightmare of Eno coming into his room to stab him. Unable to sleep, he goes to YZ’s room. He stubbornly hogs the blanket and the next day … YZ ends up on top of him. Haha that’s what you get for hogging the blankets, dear prince.
He pushes YZ and lies on top of her instead (terribly awkward, that lol). He mutters that she has slept for so long - why is she still asleep? To which she suddenly wakes up and realises she has to go to work. He pretends to sleep but sneaks a look at her getting ready for the day - and gets an eyeful of leg.
She catches him in the act, but he goes back to feigning sleep despite her demanding him to wake up. Until she loudly calls the servants to shift all of Jin’s things into her room. He wakes up and cries out: “How can you do whatever you like?” (Meanwhile, the servants gasp in horror and cover their eyes to see the couple half-dressed in bed. Aw, come on guys, this is hardly HBO-level nudity here.)
Sure, Jin could sleep in her room, but he lays a few ground rules: 1. She is not have his way with him (but he can). 2. I’m your man, you have to listen to me. 3. No weapons in the room (he points out the mace above the bed, the weapon in the closet and the spears she had stuck in the flower pots)
Amused, she says no problem and touches him under the chin, which promptly makes him remind her of rule No.1 —
YZ interrupts him and says, “I know, you can have your way with me, but I can’t take liberties with you.”
(Eh. How is that fair? NVM. But this is the cutest scene ever - our Prince is falling for YZ!)
Our couple visits the magistrate bright and early. They demand to know how the investigation is going. Not too well, apparently, because the magistrate keeps plying them with tea. Impatient, YZ announces that they will go to Master Lin’s home to investigate.
At the crime scene, Jin is in wonderland. Apparently Lin has a few art treasures at his home and Jin is in love with them. He puts aside about five pieces and tells the magistrate that he will take them back to show the emperor and promises to return them.
The Magistrate protests that he’s taking way too many things, but YZ says that if Jin says he’ll return them, he will do so. Jin then asks the magistrate to ask the neighbours if they heard anything strange - no matter how strange.
Reluctantly, the magistrate does so. After a litany of stories about all kinds of weird sounds in the area, one of the neighbours said that they saw the son of the restaurant guy (he appeared way back in episode 6 & 7) around the area. Apparently, after the fracas with the gambling den, the family has left, but the boy (called Xiao Ma) remained behind.
They bring the restaurant owner’s wayward gambling son to Jin, and Xiao Ma tells them he witnessed a man dressed in Xi (the country where Eno is from) clothes coming out of Lin’s place. This complicates matters for everyone quite a bit because of the tricky political situation between Xi and the kingdom. They can’t simply accuse one of Eno’s men of a crime if they don’t have solid proof. They can’t just arrest them all for interrogation, can they?
Jin suggests that they invite the Xi delegation over for drinks to probe them. YZ agrees and decides to be the one drinking with them, but Jin is worried that they would end up bullying/harming her.
To which the magistrate cries out: “Who would dare to bully our general?” Jin glares and the magistrate says, “But you can.” LOL.
Jin insists on attending this function himself, and YZ says that she’s worried that his body can’t take it because these Xi folks - they sure can take lots of alcohol.
The magistrate cautions the prince against going - surely the general can handle this herself? Jin protests, saying, how can he, as a man, let his wife handle this by herself?
YZ smiles, and says that while she appreciates his good intentions, Eno, when drunk, likes to have some “company” at his side (to hug and stuff!) - he doesn’t care if it’s a man or a woman. “You better be careful,” she says.
Jin looks a little er, worried about this. Will he go ahead with the plan?
Thoughts:
I’m really happy to see Jin showing people that he’s more than a useless layabout. Apparently, he makes a pretty good investigator, and how admirable that he stood up to the Emperor and insisted on seeking justice for Master Lin? The Emperor was apparently, quite content to sweep things under the rug but not Prince Jin.
Our Jin is also starting to care for YZ, and hey, is even a little attracted to her. He is starting to see her as a woman instead of that frightful beast of a general that he thought she was in the second episode. (And can I say Peter Sheng looks equally beautiful lying in bed, all in white, with his long hair blowing in the wind lol)
The next episode is going to be a doozy to translate. My mandarin ain’t 100%, so I do rely on Google Translate and Pleco to fill in the gaps. So far it’s working well, but Episode 14 with all the talking could prove to be a massive challenge. It could take a while, folks!
Oh My General - from flower boy to...?
Could someone please tell me how Show is going to explain how Prince Jin went from this
to this?
Not that I care, really. They’re both yummy.
Oh My General episode 12 recap
The emperor welcomes Eno (I believe that's the foreign prince's name) to the banquet. He tells the Emperor that he'll give a martial arts performance. Everyone is nervous because Eno comes quite close to the emperor with his weapon, but everyone manages to keep calm despite of it.
After the whole episode, Eno approaches Ye Zhao to give her toast, but Jin says he'll accept the toast on her behalf. (In the previous episode, Jin said that he doesn't want her to drink too much as she gets 'handsy' when she's drunk and thus cause him to lose face in front of the whole court! lol)
The two men exchange little barbs at each other while Ye Zhao watches on. Maybe because he had his manhood slighted by Eno, Jin asks Eno to have more drinks with him, saying it's tradition to have more than one. (As if!) The two exchange further barbs, which makes a minister quite nervous. Said minister comes over to douse some cold water over the heated exchange, saying that Prince Jin sure loves to crack jokes! He drags Eno away for a toast. Ye Zhao however was rather amused by it all (maybe cos Jin is being assertive). Prince Jin preens a little when Ye Zhao praises him, saying that he did really well.
Jin then tells YZ that he senses that Eno is a dangerous fellow, to which she replies: I trust your evaluation. (I'm sure she knows that though?) Jin tells her it's instinct. There's this cute scene where Jin stops YZ from drinking, only to drink himself, and she slyly sneaks in a drink.
Back home, Jin is totally passed out from all that liquor, however, and YZ can't help but take that opportunity to be "close" to her hubby. Hah! She's handsy even when she's not drunk - but can you blame her, really? And I think that conversation with Eno must have affected Jin a little bit more that he let on because he sits up in the middle of his sleep and declares, "I am a man! I demand to be on top!"
Poor dear.
YZ tells him, "Yes, yes, you're on top. Come, hold on to me." YZ is of course, totally taking advantage of it all, though Jin spoils it a wee bit by talking about a courtesan next and makes kissy faces.
Jin wakes up the next day without his clothes, with YZ at his side with some medicinal soup. Jin demands to know if she did anything to him. She says innocently, "Do I look like that kind of person?"
YZ is summoned for some court business, and when she leaves, Jin comments to himself: "I feel like a woman that has been ravished!" (I burst out laughing at this. Gawd.)
Jin is suspicious when one of the concubines hinted that he must have had a good night with YZ. He summons his manservant (I forgot his name) and demands to know what happened. The manservant tells him that he was really, really drunk last night and was vomiting and all, and YZ took care of him the whole night. Jin asks worriedly: "Did she do something outrageous to me?" (Actually he used the idiom, do something to "offend Heaven and reason", which I thought was doubly funny.) Cue the manservant's gobsmacked expression, to which Jin quickly says, "I mean, did I do anything untoward to her?" Manservant reassures him that he did not.
Jin's trio of good-for-nothing friends are amused to see him working out with weights later. They invite him to the go the pleasure house. There, Jin finds out to his annoyance that YZ is with Eno. He goes down to confront them and ends up listening to Eno belittling him.
"Tell me what are his good qualities? Perhaps I can learn." Eno demands.
YZ cuttingly says that he cannot "learn" Jin's good qualities.
Eno goes on to say that he heard that Jin is a man that hasn't done a day of honest/productive labour in his life and is stubborn and stupid by nature. He goes further to say that Jin must be a cute, adorable and obedient sheep at home. And why not? After all, YZ is a general.
YZ fiercely says: "No, he's not a sheep. He's an eagle."
Eno laughs out loud. "An eagle? A cute eagle then!"
YZ scowls a little, saying that he may be a young eagle with down instead of feathers now, but he will soar to be a great man in the future. He is very smart, he never forgets what he reads from books. He's kind; although he has a high position, he will defend the poor who are bullied. He cares about the people around him, protecting them under his banner (not very sure about this part), he is chivalrous - he's not afraid of how powerful his opponent is. He is so positive a person - although he is often ill since childhood, has hovered between life and death, he has never given up - he has always been able to rise after a setback.
Jin is actually moved to tears by YZ's words about him. "Everyone thinks I'm a good-for-nothing bastard and a dandy, and yet she sees the potential in me. She believes I will soar."
(Sniff. Like Jin, I'm really moved by this scene too. I think this is when Jin sees his wife in a new light, don't you think?)
Jin goes to Master Lin’s house to demand YZ's dagger back. (I think I must have missed something in the last few episodes. Jin must have replaced YZ's dagger with a fake one.) Lin wants his money but Jin grabs the knife from him - none too gently too. Lin ends up on the floor.
Jin goes to YZ's room and gives her the dagger and a new dress, telling her that he'll design her clothes in the future. (A fashion designer husband. I want one.)
[[I'm a little unsure about the dagger biz; I originally thought that Lin master made a fake one for Jin to replace YZ's real dagger, but I need to rewatch the earlier episodes carefully to be sure - anyone care to fill in the gaps?]
The next day, our couple gets a shock when they're told that Master Lin has been found dead. The onlookers point to Jin, saying that they saw him arguing with the dead man last night. Jin and YZ are summoned to the palace to explain themselves.
Thoughts
A funny episode, but also a revealing one. We see Jin’s pain beneath his playboy, flamboyant exterior. He’s gotten so used to people thinking the worst of him that he was very taken aback when YZ said such wonderful things about him. And YZ is right, of course.
One quality I love about Prince Jin is how he mingles with the ordinary folk, and how he went out of his way to seek justice for the son of the restaurant owner (he eats lamb stew/soup there often). He didn’t have to, but he did it anyway.
He’s also more intelligent than he lets on, like how he demonstrated with his skill with the dice in earlier episodes. (Jin, in order to seek justice for the restaurant owner’s son, goes to the gambling den that ensnared the boy and drains it dry with his mad gambling skills.)
Obviously, Jin could be a great man if only people let him. And it looks like YZ will be the one to help him soar like an eagle.
Single Dad!Ye Hua is basically the most awesome thing ever. It’s the little things, like putting the best food in his son’s bowl or cleaning his hands before bed that get me. You can bet nobody in his family did that for ye Hua when he was a child. The fact that he matter of factly made sure that A Li will get to grow up as a loved little boy and not a controlled machine, the way he himself was brought up, is pretty amazing.
Yes, hot single dads do something to mah ovaries.
Times change, people change, Klingons change
[Some] Star Trek fans: I wonder why Trills went from having V-shaped foreheads to having spots instead? Oh well.
Also [some] fans: Blue Bolians are much better than Bolians that resemble melted candles.
Also [some] fans: Romulans have V-shaped foreheads now? That’s cool.
Also [some] fans: They ditched the lizard suit in favor of CGI for the Gorn? Meh, whatever.
Also [some] fans: Wow, these Nausicaans could practically be twins!
Also [some] fans: I guess the sale on pig masks at Party City must have been over when they filmed the Tellarites in Enterprise. I barely noticed though.
Also [some] fans: The Klingons were ruined after Star Trek: The Original Series and the lazy explanation about the augment virus in Star Trek: Enterprise was ridiculous.
Also [some] fans: I didn’t think it could get any worse, then I saw the Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery. How can they possibly expect us to accept this?
Me: Seriously, it’s a show that once featured space hippies and an alien having his brain stolen and some of you want to draw the line at getting rid of blackface? I literally can’t believe I just typed that sentence out. It’s 2017 for fuck’s sake. Use your imagination.
Oh, and your mother has a smooth forehead.
And Klingons now look like pinecones.
That’s a wrap on season 2 of #powers! Note to Walker: next time u hitch a ride with a superhero, wear a helmet bro.
Powers the Series: “Big Bad” Wolfe: no longer huffing and puffing and eating powers souls.
Powers the Series concluded today and it finished not once, but twice. Sony’s first standalone series on their PSN network has been a steady, solid, piece of streaming media that serves a place near the top of the superhero tv genre and for good reason. While I have said before that the show may not have the flash bang production budget of some other shows on TV right now-ie The Flash, the storytelling and acting on the series more than makes up for that one small blemish.
Now the series ties up the Wolfe story line in the final episode. Eddie Izzard deserves heaps of beautiful praise for his portrayal of the mentor/villain, a man who is struggling with the desire to build his legacy and also his desire to consume all of those around him. In his last few moments on screen Izzard’s character connects with Callista, the young street smart teen who wants nothing more than to be a power and to have the family and communal feel that having powers brings. He taps into her power, via the Sway in her system, and triggers her in his final moments so she can become the power she has dreamed of.
Speaking of final moments, Walker activates the drainer core, draining them both of any more power potential and Pilgrim shoots Wolfe 9 times before Johnny Royale removes his head. A very brutal and bloody ending for Wolfe; yet fitting considering he killed dozens of kids who had taken the drug Sway moments before. With the threat of Wolfe ended, also ends the Black Swan scenario thought coming too fast by scientist/hero Triphammer.
So here the series ends with some happy feels, everyone getting some bit of goodness that they dutifully deserved after seeing so many perish at the hands of Wolfe and Sway. Then comes the sweet second ending and beginning for a (let’ hope for it) second season…the death of Retro Girl. Yup. Spoiler. Walker and Janice get a relationship vibe working only to have it ripped away and the entire premise for a second season comes to light. Boss Hog.
Now what I loved most about Powers the Series and also watching Daredevil this spring is the writing. The writers for both of these series had a singular story to tell and do so in their 10 to 13 episodes. Unlike network based tv where they develop plot after plot to try and string the series out and along for season after season, Powers and DD told the one story they had developed and ended it. Sure there were some tidbits of a possible second season, but everything from the first season wrapped up in a decent little package that if, gods forbid, there is not a second season you could watch Powers up until the Walker/Pilgrim desk scene and be done.
So Powers, good for you! I hope to watch a second season sooner than later, see and enhanced budget and want to see more Bendis and Oeming tags in the episodes-hell let the fine fellas pop up in a cameo! Until next season!
-J
POWERS. The show that deserved to be watched by millions, but due to Sony’s weird distribution system, is only watched by 1% of the planet. If you can find this show, WATCH IT. WAAAAATCH IT.
Did anyone thought about this?
That Panther!
Love this!
The panther is one cool cat
Colin Donnell and Nick Gehlfuss at the 2016 NBC Upfronts.
PSA
Don’t bash a character - or the writer of said character - simply because the character doesn’t live up to your standards/ideals/headcanon or they weren’t written a certain way that you wanted. Because - holy shit, what a concept - people in real life will never do this either, and you’ll spend the rest of your life bitter and disappointed.
In other words: DEAL. WITH. IT.
DO YOU EVER SEE SOMEONE HATE ON A CHARACTER YOU REALLY LOVE AND YOU JUST-
Feel like this with Chicago Med now!
“ It’s crystal clear that Zack Snyder is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick because this movie has vibes of Hitchcock and Kubrick films. These two legendary filmmakers are known for their visual and thematic storytelling rather than using dialogues and exposition. They show the story instead of telling it and they achieve it by using carefully crafted imagery and fully realized themes and as a result, their way of communicating the story and ideas to the audience becomes subtle and nuanced rather than being direct and straight forward.
George Miller’s critically acclaimed movie Mad Max: Fury Road had a similar approach and Batman v. Superman is no different. Zack Snyder and WB fully knew they are going to alienate some moviegoers and critics by having a subtle narrative disguised as a superhero action movie because there will be some plot elements which might fly over the heads of some people and as a result they might not understand the story in it’s entirety (The Martha moment being the best example)
Secondly, this movie has a post modern (deconstructive) narrative and this kind of narrative is meant to challenge our preconceived notions, beliefs, ideas and way of thinking. So, automatically a post modern movie tends to be controversial by it’s nature but they took the risks and this shows their commitment towards the DC property. ”
Submitted by @john1106
This is a MUST READ. EXCELLENT ANALYSIS.
